The family of the late former governor of Oyo State, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, has plunged deeper into crisis as his first daughter, Mrs Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, has approached an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, seeking an order for a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test on seven individuals claiming to be Biological children of the deceased, as well as an application for the exhumation of the late governor’s body to carry out the DNA test.
In a suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the state high court, ring road, Ibadan, with Motion Number I/443/2024, Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, through her counsel, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oladipo Olasope, is praying the court to direct that the DNA tests be carried out on herself, including Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju, a serving member of the House of Representatives, Tabitha and Olamikunle, as listed in the motion on notice filed before the court and that the test be conducted at a court approved, accredited laboratory to determine their true biological relationship with the late governor.
As part of the application, Oluwatoyin is also seeking an order of court, directing the exhumation of Otunba Alao-Akala’s remains from the mausoleum built in his Ogbomoso country home for the purpose of carrying out the paternity test.
The results of the tests, she pleaded should be filed under a sealed envelope and delivered directly to the presiding judge for pronouncement in open court.
The fresh application brought before the court is a new twist in what has become a messy and prolonged family feud over the vast estate of the late politician, who died intestate on January 12, 2022.
The crisis, which has been brewing silently since his burial, became public in October 2022 when one Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be one of the deceased’s daughters, obtained a Letter of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge or consent of Oluwatoyin, the first child.
This singular act, she contend is a deliberate and unlawful exclusion that contravene applicable laws guiding intestate succession in Nigeria.
In her affidavit and accompanying exhibit filed in support of her motion, she accused the duo of manipulating facts to claim sole control over the estate, despite the presence of other biological children and heirs.
The estate in question is said to be massive, spreading across several properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, United Kingdom and the United States of America, including a five star hotel in Ghana, vehicles and multiple bank accounts containing hundreds of millions in naira, dollars and pounds sterling.
Oluwatoyin’s position on her deceased father’s estate stems from her strong resolve at ensuring that every individual, including nuclear and extended family members, aides of the former governor, who served him meritoriously without blemish and yet to identified children among many others are catered for, as against the winner takes it all approach adopted by the duo of the defendants.
The said administrators listed only seven individuals as legal heirs, but Oluwatoyin’s position, as articulated by her counsel, is that there is no consensus on the paternity of these persons and that the inclusion of some and exclusion of others in the administration of the deceased’s estate raises troubling questions of authenticity and equity. It is on this basis she seeks judicial intervention through scientific means.
It will be recalled that in an August 2023 letter made public, counsel to Oluwatoyin, Oladipo Olasope SAN, warned that the exclusion of the claimant who is the first daughter of the late Alao-Akala, violated both moral norms and legal rights, stressing that unless resolved, the dispute could further polarise the family and damage the late governor’s political legacy.
